Investment Plan 2020-2022 - Victoria University of Wellington
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Investment Plan 2020-2022 Victoria University of Wellington Approved by the University Council, 29 July 2019 Approved by Tertiary Education Commission, 12 December 2019
2 Investment Plan Template
Tertiary education organisation (TEO)
details
Please complete the following details.
TEO name University of Wellington
EDUMIS number 7004
Lead contact for Plan discussions – Dr Leon Bakker
Director Planning and Management Information
Work phone 04 463 5990
Mobile 027 563 5990
Email Leon.bakker@vuw.ac.nz1. Mission and role
Victoria University of Wellington’s vision
As New Zealand’s globally ranked capital city university, Victoria University of Wellington’s vision is to be a
world-leading capital city university and one of the great global–civic universities. Our location in
Wellington gives us privileged access to political, public sector, legal, diplomatic, and cultural organisations
as well as to the nation’s archived heritage. As a capital city university, we operate at the fertile interface
between town, gown, and crown or, put another way, at the interface between business, innovation, and
regulation. This location allows us to play a significant role in cultivating intellectual capital and facilitating
innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic growth. We are ideally positioned to speak truth
to power and to lead thinking on major societal, cultural, economic, and environmental issues.
A civic university is one that values close involvement with the social, cultural, and economic life of its city
and region. This is the mandate upon which the University was founded approximately 120 years ago, and
it remains as important today. As a global–civic university, we now view civic engagement in a
contemporary, global context. Our global–civic vision comes naturally to a world-class university in an
outwardly looking capital city.
The vision Victoria University of Wellington has adopted will ensure the University can make a significant
contribution to achieving the desired outcomes of the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) and New Zealand’s
education vision.
Victoria University of Wellington’s strategic direction
Our Strategic Plan outlines the mission, role, and strategies that the University will be adopting to achieve
its mission. The Strategic Plan drives all decision-making and resource allocation across the University and
focuses our activities and development of capability.
The Strategic Plan is being revised in 2019 and outlines a long-term path for the University. The previous
Strategic Plan approved by Council in 2014 set six primary strategies that span academic emphasis: the
quality of our research; the quality of our teaching, learning, and student experience; our focus on
inclusivity, with a particular emphasis on the success of Māori and Pasifika learners; our engagement with
our communities; and the depth of our intellectual influence in our region and beyond. It directly
addressed the aims of the Government as expressed in the Tertiary Education Strategy. The Plan also laid
out five enabling strategies: the employment of world class scholars, the increased scale of the University,
the effectiveness of our processes, the sustainability of our revenue, and the communication of the quality
of research and teaching at the University. The University will continue to address the Government’s
priorities in the next investment period through a range of initiatives, including increasing our research
impact and responding to employer and industry stakeholder needs. We will ensure graduates are
equipped for careers in the modern world and further increase the proportion of Māori and Pasifika
students attending and achieving at the University. We will also grow postgraduate and international
student numbers and increase the effectiveness of our external relationships to support innovation and a
highly skilled workforce.
The strategies outlined in our Strategic Plan have been, and will continue to be, well aligned to the
Government’s priorities as expressed in the Tertiary Education Strategy 2014–2019. Those relevant to
universities are to:
• deliver skills for industry
• boost the achievement of Māori and Pasifika students
• strengthen research-based institutions4 Investment Plan Template • grow international linkages. Victoria University of Wellington has focused on enhancing our national and international linkages; working closely with, and ensuring the success of, equity groups; improving the quality of our research; and improving teaching and employment outcomes. Our activities will contribute to the outcomes, included in the outcome framework agreed with the TEC, which are: an increased proportion of the population with a tertiary qualification higher-quality and more relevant research a tertiary system that is more responsive to the needs of employers and learners. The University’s Strategic Plan expires in 2019 and a revision process is underway. Key tenets of the existing plan remain with modifications being largely refinements. For example, better articulating the distinctiveness of the University and how this flows through to its curriculum and research. The revised Strategic Plan will be published on the University website when it has been completed and approved by Council; a process running parallel to development of this document. Consequentially, the key results areas and targets for monitoring the university’s performance in the statement of forecast service performance will be set once the Strategic Plan has been approved by Council. The process of revising the Strategic Plan included a comprehensive analysis of the current environment in which the University operates—both internationally and nationally; consideration of trends in tertiary education and society and the University’s response to these have been workshopped and forums held with Council, senior leadership, university staff, and key stakeholders. The new Strategic Plan revises our view of what is distinctive about Victoria University of Wellington and replaces the concept of distinctive themes with a weaving in of a number of elements that collectively set us apart.
These are reflected in the diagram that shows we consider our focus on being a great civic university with
our marae at our heart influencing our values; our research-enriched teaching; increased agility as an
organisation based on professional processes and systems, with students seen as partners in our joint
endeavours. These in turn are demonstrated in the way we focus on our commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi, sustainability, and governing for the future, our focus on having an Asian–Pacific global
mindedness and a creative impact, and recognition of, and contribution to, having a Wellington ’vibe’.
In section 1.3 below we describe our past performance against the previous Strategic Plan before
describing the new projects proposed under the 6 revised strategies of the new Strategic Plan.
1.1 Mission-related capability
Governance
The University’s Council provides governance over the institution, with six sub-committees plus the
Academic Board focusing on key organisational capability. The Council also includes representatives of the
student body and staff to ensure that these key stakeholder groups are represented in governance. Its
constitution can be found at the following link.
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2015-au5554
The University is fortunate to have a notable and capable group of Councillors
(https://www.victoria.ac.nz/about/governance/council) whose credentials and experience underline the
governance capability of the Council.
The following link contains a description of the roles and functions of Council.
https://www.victoria.ac.nz/about/governance/council/about-the-council
Council operates according to a Council manual that outlines its duties, composition, procedures, and
powers. Council operates six committees:
A nominations panel ensures Council has the skills, knowledge, diversity, and experience for the
University to meet the challenges ahead and to achieve its strategic goals. It also oversees the
appointment and election of Council members.
The Audit and Risk committee assists Council in relation to oversight of strategic and operational
risk management, health and safety management, internal and external audit, statutory financial
reporting, and legislative compliance.
The Finance committee assists Council in relation to Victoria University of Wellington’s budget,
long-term capital plan, funding strategy, treasury management, and financial performance.
The Human Resources committee assists Council to meet its responsibility to monitor and evaluate
the Vice-Chancellor’s performance and undertake the Vice-Chancellor’s annual remuneration
review.
Te Aka Matua / Māori Advisory committee provides Council with timely advice on Victoria
University of Wellington’s relations with Māori communities as they support the development and
implementation of the Strategic Plan.
The Victoria Honours committee makes recommendations to Council regarding the criteria,
conferment or award for/of an honorary degree, Hunter Fellowship, or any other honorary award
that Council may wish to bestow.
Council oversees a robust planning process leading to approval of the Annual Plan. The Annual Plan
identifies the initiatives and funding required to deliver on the Strategic Plan and operational activities of
the University for the following year. The initiatives and priority projects that are part of the Annual Plan
are tracked and monitored centrally through a register of key projects and Council approves the Annual
Plan and receives regular updates on progress based on the agreed metrics used to monitor progress; these6 Investment Plan Template
metrics and their targets include all those in the Statement of Service Performance and additional measures
agreed with the Vice-Chancellor.
Council ensures that its own capabilities develop through a comprehensive induction for new Council
members to ensure they have a good understanding of the University and its environment and the markets
in which it operates. As part of the programme, members receive essential Council and university
information, meet key management and visit the University’s facilities. Each year, Council critically
evaluates its own performance, including its processes and procedures. The performance of individual
members is also evaluated by self-assessment. Council has a ‘board-wide’ membership of the Institute of
Directors (IoD) and this provides all Council members with full membership rights (apart from voting
rights). Members are expected to attend basic governance training.
The University is managed by a senior leadership team (SLT) that reports to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor
Grant Guilford, who is appointed by Council. Descriptions of the members of SLT and their roles are at the
following link.
https://www.victoria.ac.nz/about/governance/senior-leadership
The University has a set of key performance indicators, agreed with Council, which have targets established
as part of the Annual Plan. Progress towards these are tracked and quarterly reports provided to Council to
monitor progress. Annual results are published in the Annual Report, which is independently audited. The
Annual Plan specifies the initiatives and activities that will occur in each year across the total range of the
University’s activities that will give effect to the Strategic Plan. Teaching and research, engagement and
support services are listed with their initiatives, funding, and key performance indicators and how they will
be monitored during the year.
In addition, a series of long-term plans (e.g. Campus Master Plan, Accommodation Long-Term Plan, Digital
Roadmap) are also approved by Council, which sets the long-term strategy, funding, and projects in place
for specific areas of focus. They ensure that the capital intense infrastructure of the University is well
thought out, implemented coherently with future priorities in mind, and adequately funded. These plans
support the Strategic Plan enabling strategies.
Such plans, combined with regular monthly financial reporting, ensure that the SLT and the Council are well
informed and able to prudently steer the University to meet its vision and mission.
The University has a risk-management toolkit that includes a step-by-step process to follow when managing
risks. The toolkit helps risk assessors identify, assess, and rank risks so that appropriate controls can be
identified.
In addition, this is underpinned by advice and training in risk management and use of the toolkit provided
by the University’s Safety, Risk and Assurance Unit. The Audit and Risk committee of Council receives
reports that track the risks and hazards identified to ensure adequate mitigations are in place.
To ensure major projects are well planned, governed, and implemented successfully, a strategic projects
office provides support for development and reporting on key initiatives. Progress is regularly reported to
SLT. A project register identifies those projects at various stages in the pipeline, from initial scoping and
exploration to implementation and finally benefits realisation.
Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi Statute was enacted in 2019, to replace our previous
Treaty of Waitangi Statute. It is the formal expression of our commitment to Māori as tangata whenua and
Treaty partners. The statute outlines the principles adopted by Council to enact the University’s obligations.
The principles are:
Kawanatanga (governance)
Rangatiratanga, which recognises Māori autonomy and self-determination
Kowhiringa (options) acknowledge Māori rights to pursue their own personal direction
Mahi tahi (partnership) requires Māori and the Crown to work together Kaitiakitanga (protection) ensures Māori rights and interests are actively protected through
honourable conduct, fair processes, robust consultation, and good decision-making
Whai wahi (participation) ensures that Māori are fully involved in all parts of society, which ensures
Māori representation in key decision-making bodies
Rite tahi (equality) focuses on providing an environment that supports equitable Māori outcomes
Whakaoranga (redress) provides for the effective resolution of Māori grievances.
The University is committed to:
Māori student recruitment, retention, and achievement
Māori research excellence, with the potential for significant social, economic, and scholarly impacts
the contribution of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) to scholarship across disciplines
continued senior leadership of mātauranga Māori
building long-term and positive relationships with Māori stakeholders
building Māori staff capability
increasing the capability of all staff to engage with Māori interests
the contribution of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori to the culture of the University.
More information about how the university is implementing its commitment to the Treaty is provided in
Section 3.3, Boosting Achievement for Māori.
The University has equality of opportunity as one of its core values. Our new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Framework identifies priority equity groups and sets out the high-level objectives and actions to meet the
University’s commitment to equity and diversity. Detailed Action Plans for both staff and students underpin
the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework and capture heightened ambitions in this area.
The Provost’s office provides leadership in achieving equality of opportunity across the University. Several
policies and plans are in place, including the student retention plan, a framework and plan for students
from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, a Pasifika student success plan, Pasifika staff success
plan, and a disability action plan. Accompanying these are guidelines for equal employment opportunities
in both recruitment and promotion processes.
Stakeholders
The relationships with stakeholder groups are critical to the University. From staff and students through to
alumni, employers, industry groups, the Wellington City Council, and government agencies, the University
resources a dedicated SLT role to ensure these relationships are well managed. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Engagement), leads the University's efforts to deepen its engagement with our communities of interest. As
a global–civic university, we have close involvement with the social, cultural, and economic life of our city
and region. Flowing from our Strategic Plan, our relationships with stakeholders is guided by our
Engagement Strategy, which articulates the approach we take with identifying and working with our key
stakeholders.
This is the mandate upon which the University was founded approximately 120 years ago. It remains just as
important today.
Consistent with the civic university tradition, the University engages closely with New Zealand’s capital city.
Our staff and students enjoy privileged access to the nation’s archived heritage and its cultural taonga, and
they benefit from our strong and unique links with government departments and agencies, business, iwi,
the judiciary, research organisations, cultural and environmental organisations, and the diplomatic
community. Our alumni are kept informed by receiving information regularly about the University and have
opportunities to attend alumni events in many countries, often hosted by the Vice-Chancellor.
The University sees itself as a critical part of Wellington, contributing in many ways to the city’s life and
vibrancy. Not only is the University the second largest employer in Wellington, but it also makes further
contributions of students, creative arts, and research and advisory work of staff, highlighting the8 Investment Plan Template
commitment the University has as a public civic university at the heart of government. The public-sector
funded professorial chairs recognise this contribution. Further detail on our stakeholders is provided below.
Infrastructure
Key to enabling the progress toward our strategies and outcomes is sound financial and resource
management. Our enabling strategies ensure the long-term academic and financial viability of the
University by attracting world-class scholars; attaining the scale, quality, and academic profile of a leading
public university; increasing and diversifying income; and reallocating resources to support strategies.
Despite a constrained financial environment, the Victoria University Group met all fiscal targets set through
the plan period. The consolidated Group operating result (including all entities) generated a surplus of
$15.0 million, equating to 3.1 percent of revenue. Revenues and the resulting surpluses were positive and
largely in line with the Strategic Plan, which can be found on our website. For the third year in a row, the
University’s real revenue growth exceeded 5.0 percent, a significant achievement given that current
school-leaver student numbers in New Zealand have been gradually declining on an annual basis. Achieving
the 3.0 percent surplus required by the Government in 2018 is noteworthy in a challenging environment of
fewer school leavers and a strong job market. As much as possible, we have endeavoured to reinvest funds
into improving facilities, purchasing new equipment, and supporting the demand for accommodation.
The University has a large portfolio of buildings and other resources critical to its functioning. As described
above, Council has approved several forward-looking long-term plans to guide the development of its
infrastructure. All projects from these plans must still be approved through business cases but the projects
themselves are planned, prioritised, and sequenced to maximise the benefits of the capital required.
A campus master plan provides a long-term view of how our building assets will be managed and prioritises
capital spend on refurbishment and construction. Given the impact of the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake,
ongoing repairs to buildings is still occurring. An additional decant building is being constructed to facilitate
refurbishment of other buildings on campus.
A similar plan exists for the enablement of the digital strategy. The Digital Roadmap provides prioritised
projects to enhance the delivery of key applications and information to support the learning, teaching,
research and professional activities of the University. The Roadmap has several horizons to ensure projects
that are reliant on one another are integrated and focus on key pain points identified through the
design-thinking process that was run to produce the Roadmap.
The Accommodation Business Plan aims to ensure our students have an experience second to none, the
lack of accommodation is a major concern for our students. Based on strategic research on what is
happening internationally and nationally, the plan addresses the need for student accommodation that is
affordable and tailored to address student preferences.
Support for staff
As staff are our key resource and a critical stakeholder group, the wellbeing and development of staff is
critical to the University meeting its Strategic Plan goals. Many resources and activities are in place to
support staff to thrive in Victoria University of Wellington’s community.
The Our Voice survey has been used to understand better the perceptions staff have of the
environment and organisation in which they work. The survey provides benchmarks against which
comparisons can be made with other universities in New Zealand and overseas. From the results of
the survey, individual work plans are in place for organisational units, and three areas are being
focused on at an institutional level:
o growing our leadership capability through programmes such as the Leading People
Programme, Management in Action, and the Head of School Professional Development
Programmeo embedding our core ethical values through a plan to enable, support, and enforce
avalues-based culture—SLT has endorsed this approach and is committed to ensuring its
success
o developing our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practices
The University is committed to supporting the physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of staff,
including those facing personal or professional challenges, with workshops, counsellors, and online
resources available. Vaccinations and eye tests are included.
A new Vocational Early Academic Career Framework, VECAP, and a revised promotions process
have been developed and are in place.
A new Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework has been established.
A new sexual harassment prevention policy has been developed.
Professional development of academic staff is provided through the Centre for Academic
Development (CAD), which provides training to support teaching at the University; a two-day
workshop provides induction for all new academic staff. Professional staff can also apply for
training as part of their personal development, and development interviews are conducted
biennially. CAD has undergone a review to ensure that staff and students have the best possible
access to a cadre of academic developers and learning and teaching professionals who will be
charged with sharing their expertise both inside and outside the classroom.
A staff support team is utilised when occasionally, members of the University community are
involved in distressing or critical incidents
All staff are provided with induction training and support from managers and staff to assist them in
working at the University.
The intranet has a wealth of resources to support staff personally and professionally.
Representation of two staff on the Council to ensure the staff voice is heard at governance level.
1.2 Responding to key global and
national trends
The strategic planning process annually assesses global and national trends so that the University’s plans
are responsive to changes. Council and SLT workshops run as part of the process, considered a
comprehensive pack of analyses and material covering all areas performance such as rankings, student and
staff satisfaction and expectations, enrolment patterns and forecast trends, research performance, and
trends in technology and industry. Examples of trends considered include:
demands from students and employers for new skills to keep up with a changing workforce and
improved engagement from universities, in line with other modern experiences
utilising online education, flipped classrooms, and blended learning to complement and enrich
class-based education
changing demographics in both domestic and international students, in terms of volumes and
characteristics, with forecasts and analyses suggesting where growth or declines are likely to occur
greater uncertainty and funding risk as a result of recent government changes in policy
increased competition for students and research funding
investment from Asian countries, especially China, in their own tertiary education sectors
global pressure on university funding, and demands to see impact from research funding.
Assessment of where the University has opportunities, or must address threats, is a critical part of planning
for its strategic approach. These SWOT analyses and scans inform developments such as our Student
Accommodation Plan, which relied on a research report of the developments internationally and nationally
and used extensive case studies to highlight key trends for consideration as part of the plan. Similarly, the
Digital Roadmap included consideration of leaders in tertiary education digitisation, site visits, and input
from experts in other universities in its development.10 Investment Plan Template
Our development of qualifications and courses is informed by such trends as seen in the establishment of
the Faculty of Health, completing the pilot of a microcredential and ongoing review of the Bachelor of Arts,
following consultation with stakeholders that included students, staff, and employers. The importance of
technology use by our students has also helped drive the development of the Digital Roadmap to respond
to technological innovations and opportunities and to ensure technology supports teaching-related
activities. The Roadmap includes a sequence of projects that will focus our efforts for several years and
includes, for example, piloting digital exams, developing learning analytics to support staff working with
students, revising the online enrolment processes and system, and integrating our learner-management
system and student-management system. Establishing a design-thinking capability to assist with ensuring
user-centred development is also included.
Responding to future trends includes the design of new and refurbished buildings as part of our Campus
Master Plan. The Plan provides a long-term view of the University’s requirements for space and prioritises
such capital-intensive activity. As shown in the development of Te Toki Arata, our new Biological Sciences
facility, the layout and fitout of the building is focused around the needs of staff and students, considering
best practice for such specialisations.
Updates to key strategic plans such as the Research Strategy and the International Strategy will occur after
the publication of the Strategic Plan later in 2019. Descriptions of the future focus of these activities are
still being developed, but broad areas have been included in this investment plan.
1.3 Information about past performance
This section of the Investment Plan highlights how we have progressed towards the outcomes of our
Strategic Plan during the last plan period and signals our planned focus and activities for the next three
years. The University is already making a significant contribution to achieving the goals laid out in the
government’s Tertiary Education Strategy and will strengthen and deepen this contribution as the
University’s Strategic Plan is refreshed and further implemented.
The sections below use the current Strategic Plan priorities to report performance. The new Strategic Plan
changes to these will be described prior to the forward-focused section on our 2020 and beyond projects.
Learning and teaching performance.
Excellence in learning, teaching, and research lie at the heart of our vision to become a world-leading
capital city university and one of the great global–civic universities. Victoria University of Wellington has an
ambitious Learning and Teaching Strategy that signals the University’s commitment to working in
partnership with students to create and maintain an effective and inclusive learning and teaching
environment, and a commitment to quality in design, delivery, and outcomes. Alongside this, the
University’s Research Strategy seeks to increase the quality, quantity, and intensity of our research; deliver
greater diversity, impact and scale; increase and diversify external research funding; and consolidate the
University’s current status as the first-ranked university for Performance-Based Research Funding (PBRF).
A distinctive academic emphasis (Primary Strategy 1) has resulted in several initiatives. We have
established eight academic distinctiveness themes that are fostering interdisciplinary research and
engagement. We have launched the Faculty of Health, realigned the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences and Victoria Business School, and increased the enrolments in the Faculty of Law. A portfolio of
new programmes has been developed (e.g. Applied Statistics, Climate Change Science and Policy, Design,
Fine Arts (Creative Practice), Meteorology, and Science and Society,) and consolidated the EdX MOOC
infrastructure and portfolio.
Primary Strategy 3 states that the University will ‘Provide a holistic learning, teaching, and student
experience that is second to none’. To progress this, we have:
initiated the Student Services Transformation Programme continued growth in civic-engagement activities and work-integrated learning, including the
Victoria International Leadership Programme and Victoria Plus
fully implemented and consolidated offerings under a refreshed Bachelor of Arts programme
modernised and redeveloped teaching infrastructure and facilities
established a policy for tutors to ensure consistency of recruitment and employment practices, and
revised the tutor training programme
rolled out ‘Publish’, enabling students an improved, mobile-friendly timetable view of teaching,
exams, and tutorials.
Primary Strategy 4 states that the University will ‘secure the intellectual potential put at risk through
experience of disadvantage. Progress to date has been:
continued development of the strategic outcomes framework Mai i te Iho ki te Pae to enhance
outcomes for Māori
completion of the Māori and Pasifika Interventions review with the establishment of a Māori
Student Support team (Awhina) and Pasifika Student Support team
appointment of new Māori and Pasifika staff in Victoria Business School and the Faculty of Health
more than 60 agreements signed with iwi and iwi-related organisations In the Taihona partnership
programme
expanded range of 100-level courses in established Tohu, Māori, and Pasifika pathways
programmes
appointment of the kaiārahi rautaki in the Library and a Māori advisory committee for teacher
education programmes
increased incorporation of mātauranga Māori in programmes and courses
appointment of a rainbow and inclusion adviser to develop and implement strategy
recipients of the Ngā Hoe a Kupe Pathfinder Scholarships, funded by the divestment of the former
Karori campus, began their studies at the University this year. The scholarships are available to
students from low-decile schools with large numbers of Māori and Pasifika students in the
Wellington region.
The Strategic Plan’s enabling strategies are also key to success in learning and teaching.
Enabling Strategy 1: Double the community of world-class scholars choosing Victoria University of
Wellington. Progress to date has been:
the new , VECAP Framework , and revised promotions process in place
organisational development role addressing the five priority areas identified in 2015’s Your Voice
survey
review of academic professional development opportunities completed
high-quality academic appointments being made across the University
establishment of new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework
Enabling Strategy 2: Attain the scale, quality and academic profile of leading public universities
Progress to date:
strong growth in international student numbers, market share of domestic students holding
establishment of the Entrepreneurial University Initiative-funded Computational Innovation Centre
improvements to Academic committee functioning to ensure quality programmes and courses are
offered
roles created to advance digital strategy and implementation of SPOCs and MOOCs.
The impact of these activities on our performance is evident. Over the course of the last Strategic Plan
(2014–2019) we have seen a 5.1 percent increase in total equivalent full-time students (EFTS), 2.1 percent
in domestic EFTS, and 29.1 percent in international EFTS. Our Māori and domestic Pasifika EFTS have
increased by 12 percent and 15.4 percent over the same period. Course-completion rates for Māori have
increased 3.7 percent over the past decade and Pasifika rates have increased 11.7 percent. The difference
between these groups and non-Māori non-Pasifika (NMNP) have reduced by 0.5 percent and 8.5 percent12 Investment Plan Template
respectively1. Retention rates have also improved across this period, with first-year retention rates rising
3.2 percent overall between 2014 and 2018, with increases of 6.6 percent for Māori, 5.2 percent for
Pasifika, and 3.1 percent for NMNP students. This halved the difference between NMNP students to
3.1 percent and reduced the difference for Pasifika from 7.5 percent below in 2014 to 5.4 percent below by
2018.
Similarly, qualification completion rates have also increased at both undergraduate and postgraduate
levels: in 20172, Māori undergraduate completions were 55.9 percent, up from 46.8 percent in 2014.
Postgraduate completions had risen from 59.7 percent to 66.9 percent over the same period. Pasifika
undergraduate completion rates rose from 34.1 percent to 50.8 percent and postgraduate from
60.3 percent to 65.2 percent in the same years. The gap between Māori and Pasifika and NMNP at
undergraduate level has reduced by 5 percent and 13 percent, and at postgraduate level by 4 percent and
2 percent for Māori and Pasifika respectively.
Our graduate employment rates also demonstrate Victoria University of Wellington’s successful delivery
against the Government’s Tertiary Education Strategy. A year after completing their studies, 96 percent of
our graduates are in work, further education, or not looking for employment3. This is supported by
students’ teaching evaluations that remain consistently high—above 90 percent as good or very good.
Increasing numbers of students are engaging in the Government’s Tertiary Education Strategy priority
areas. Science, technology, engineering, and medicine are areas where growth has occurred, especially
with the introduction of the new Faculty of Health in 2017. Science and Engineering increased by over 540
EFTS and Health by 41 EFTS since the start of the Strategic Plan.
Our refreshed Strategic Plan has reframed our enabling strategies and distinctiveness as described in
Section 1 above. Our new Strategies and proposed projects to achieve them (including those underway)
follow.
Strategy 1: Ambitious research for transformative impact
1. Research funding to support ambitious research
• Increase PhD scholarships
• Establish faculty research funds
• Reposition URF
• Postdoctoral research fellow scheme
• Research leadership programme
2. Research mobilisation
• Policy lab
• Sabbaticals in industry/profession
• Policy fellowship
• Co-location
3. Embrace mātauranga Māori and support kaupapa Māori research
• Mātauranga Māori research fund
• Partnerships for research
4. International visibility
• Wellington fellowship
• Research tools
• Deep bi-lateral relationships with leading universities
5. Collaboration initiatives
1 Source Tertiary Education Commission App Nga Kete
2 2017 results are used as 2018 results were not complete and available at the time of drafting this Investment Plan
3 Annual Report 2018• Develop existing strategy research centres
• Start 2–3 new large-scale collaborations
Our research performance of the past three years has been significant. The contribution the University is
making in knowledge creation and new research is evidenced by the ongoing increases in external research
revenue, which has risen from $42.5 million to $68.3 million per annum since 2014. This highlights the
increasing value that stakeholders are placing in our research contribution. Victoria University of
Wellington has increasing success in the Marsden and Health Research Council awards for research:
22 Victoria University of Wellington-led projects received more than $14.5 million from the Government’s
2018 round of Marsden Fund grants. Victoria University of Wellington-led research teams working on a
treatment to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, improving quality of life for multiple sclerosis sufferers
and investigating ways to integrate digital-health surveys with matching therapies, received more than
$3.5 million in the mid-2018 Health Research Council of New Zealand funding round. Another Victoria
University of Wellington-led team of researchers received a $4.78 million Health Research Council grant to
assess the effectiveness of New Zealand's primary healthcare system.
Eleven Victoria University of Wellington-led projects—a sixth of the total funded—received more than
$34 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Endeavour Fund. The University
has more projects supported than any of the other institutions in the 2018 round of New Zealand's largest
contestable research fund, acknowledging the quality, innovation, and impact of our research. Annual
invention disclosures, a sign of the impact of knowledge creation, are also up across the period of the plan
from 26 per annum to 44 per annum.
Improvements have also been noted in the international rankings with the QS rankings rising from 275 to
215 across the previous Strategic Plan period. The rankings data allows the University to compare research
outputs internationally; such benchmarking is primarily through the feedback from the international
rankings agencies and by using databases such as SciVal to compare discipline-specific performance on
research outputs with universities of similar scale. Appointment of an analyst to support strategic-research
policy and analysis will enhance the ability of the University to consider its research performance compared
to others. Currently, trends are monitored at an institutional and discipline level, with QS data showing a
comparatively high level of outputs per academic staff member. Internal data shows that many disciplines
such as music performance and arts cannot readily be compared using databases of published citations.
The results from the 2018 PBRF have provided a rich source of information to compare against other New
Zealand universities for quality of research. The results show particular strengths in Arts, Humanities, Law,
and Social Sciences. They also show that the strategy of focusing on growing research careers has been
successful, particularly for women researchers at the University, where they perform higher than the
national averages, and better than their male counterpoints in senior academic positions. Victoria
University of Wellington has seen a substantial increase in research income from competitive processes,
which is a key metric in demonstrating the value of its research.
More information is provided below in the section on strengthening research-based institutions.
Strategy 2: Education preparing you for an extraordinary life
Proposed and inflight projects under this revised strategy include:
1. Academic infrastructure (learning and teaching)
Roll out of digital exams across the University (2020–23)
Curriculum management system (2019–2021)
Deliver CAD Review recommendations, ensuring stronger academic leadership, pedagogical
leadership, effective digital learning and teaching, Māori and Pasifika support (by 2021)
Foster new roles such as professional teaching fellows and learning designers (2020–25).
Update the Learning Platform to deliver a flexible digital learning environment that brings together
online and physical realms (2020–25)14 Investment Plan Template
Use learning analytics to improve student retention (2020–25)
2. Curriculum redesign (learning and teaching)
Map the current curriculum against the Curriculum Framework (2021)
Develop a whole-of-university Curriculum Framework (2020)
Enhance the extracurricular opportunities for students to ensure they complement Victoria
University of Wellington’s curriculum. This will be achieved by establishing a university framework
and enhancing the portfolio of non-degree offerings (short courses, microcredentials, MOOCs,
SPOCs) (2020–25)
Make necessary amendments to related policies and regulations to reduce complexity and ensure
internal consistency with the new Curriculum Framework (2022)
Realign the curriculum to take advantage of new national and international markets (2020–25)
3. Student civic and cultural engagement (learning and teaching)
Establish university framework for civic engagement and experiential learning (2020)
Embed civic engagement and experiential learning as an integral part of all undergraduate
programmes, including work-integrated learning, entrepreneurships hubs and incubators (2021–
25)
Establish university framework for global and cultural engagement (2020)
Embed global and cultural engagement as an integral part of all undergraduate programmes,
including work-integrated learning, entrepreneurship hubs and incubators (2020–025)
4. Student Services (student experience)
Implement Student Services Transformation Programme through new operating model (2020)
Realignment of student services around the student journey (includes, among others, pathways,
enrolment, admissions, advising, assessment, graduation) (2021–25)
Implement other student-facing aspects of the Digital Roadmap (details and dates are in the
Roadmap)
5. Academic year (student experience)
Embed Trimester 3, including changes in curriculum and support systems (2020–22)
Deliver a full Trimester 3 (2023)
Consider options for shortening the exam periods at the end of trimesters to facilitate timely
reporting of important information (grade entry, aegrotat decisions, etc.) (2020)
Consolidate an enhanced portfolio of Trimester 3 offerings (2020)
6. Improving living conditions for students (student experience)
Implement new Scholarships Strategy, including new Te Herenga Waka scholarships
Deliver the new Accommodation Strategy
The University has successfully trialled digital examination using innovative, accessible pedagogically
informed digital technologies to complement face-to-face learning and teaching. This initiative will ensure
that the University will remain competitive in the modern tertiary education environment. It is being
piloted by the Faculty of Law and Victoria Business School. The proposed new Curriculum Framework will
provide a cohesive set of definitions and regulations for the development, approval, management, and
evaluation of Victoria University of Wellington academic offerings. It seeks to promote a strong and
integrated structure for programmes, underpinned by five core principles: transparency, flexibility,
relevance, coherence, and distinctiveness. Additional major projects are already underway, such as the use
of digital exams and embedding of opportunities for student civic engagement and work-integrated
learning into programmes, mapping the curriculum against the Curriculum Framework, and the
development of a business case for a new curriculum management system.
Over the next three years, our focus is also on delivering a comprehensive Student Success Transformation
Programme with workstreams related to the student journey from easier and enhanced enrolment. The
Programme has been running for the past two years and is responsible for reviewing and redesigningstudent services at Victoria University of Wellington so they are streamlined, integrated, and meet the
needs of our diverse student population. The Programme takes a holistic view of student services, with the
intention of improving the experience for staff and students. It has employed a co-design approach to:
change the way we work
deliver our services through the adoption of a new operating model
plan and redesign the enrolment experience via a student portal.
Implementation of the programme will begin in 2019 and continue through the following years.
The vision for the Student Success Project is to put in place a framework to provide an organising and
coordinating approach to Victoria University of Wellington’s retention, progress, and student success that is
sensitive to our policy and governance constraints. Workshops with students and staff have informed the
development of the first two workstreams, following the development of our target operating model. The
first stage of the project has been a stocktake of retention- and success-related student engagement
activity, and the next phase will fit these activities in the context of the new Student Success Framework to
assess investment, measures, outcomes, and opportunities. The effectiveness of these success activities
will be enhanced through the piloting of student-success software that will help us engage with students
throughout their education journey and connect students with the right supports in a timely manner.
Projects such as the new Scholarships Strategy, the Accommodation Strategy, and delivering a full
Trimester 3 are also projects that are underway in 2019 and will continue through the new plan period.
Proposed new programmes include, among others, the Master of Communication (following an approved
Bachelor of Communication), Midwifery, Design, Intelligent Cities, and Meteorology. In addition to
traditional degrees, the University will develop new short course, executive education and microcredential
offerings.
Strategy 3: Equitable Outcomes for all
Proposed and inflight projects under this revised strategy include:
1. Attraction and recruitment
Māori and Pasifika pathways (underway)
Attract and recruit students and staff from our identified equity groups
2. Participation
Māori outcomes framework
Pasifika student success plan
Pasifika staff success plan
Compulsory te reo Māori/mātauranga Māori in curriculum
3. Influence and engagement
Taihonoa partnerships
Engagement with Pasifika communities domestically and in the Pacific region
Policies and practices to support and value the activities of all staff and students will be developed
International partnerships between Victoria University of Wellington and the National University of
Samoa, Solomon Islands National University, the University of Papua New Guinea , the University of
the South Pacific, and their respective governments
Pasifika alumni engagement
4. Retention
Learning analytics
5. Creating spaces
Living pā
Fale (underway)16 Investment Plan Template
We plan to continue the development of new compelling pathways for Māori and Pasifika students
integrated with the University’s undergraduate offerings. This will become part of the broader suite of
outreach, recruitment, transition, and support that the University already delivers. We will also deliver the
Māori and Pacifica Interventions Review to ensure that the new ‘hub and spoke’ model combines Māori
and Pasifika student support services in a truly university-wide, culturally responsive way, able to support
the entire student life cycle.
The Taihonoa programme has enabled the University to develop a significant number of relationships with
iwi and other Māori groups. Continued investment in this programme will enable deepening of those
relationships, including a range of research and development opportunities, enhancing the University’s
reputation as a university that is proactive in the mātauranga Māori space. This work would be
complimentary to the initiatives to enhance participation and retention of Māori students.
Strategy 4: Deepen engagement and reputation
Proposed and inflight projects under this revised strategy include:
1. Reputation and brand
Visual identity/refresh
Marketing (Including web development, brand campaigns, and digital engagement)
2. Partnerships
Develop relationship management plan
3. Civic Engagement
Student–city partnering with Wellington City Council and others Wellington stakeholders
4. Alumni
5. Philanthropy
Launch fundraising campaign, "what if"
Strategy 5: Deep international engagement with Asia–Pacific
Proposed and inflight projects under this revised strategy include:
1. Teaching and learning
Overseas partnering and delivery to include teaching Victoria University of Wellington content face
to face, online, and via credit or non-credit-bearing short courses or mixtures of these
Digital channels
Conversion from MOOCs (e.g. edX)
Postdoctoral opportunities
One-year Master’s programmes
Experiential learning
Multiple intakes
Culture change to greater internationalisation
Providing a pathway to the University’s degrees to include the University’s content delivery at
diploma/pathway level (with credit), English Language Academy, links to secondary/further
education, and ITPs
2. International Reputation
In-country presence/interventions
Targeted communication and marketing strategy
Awards, conferences, and events International alumni
Professional hosting of international visitors by the University
Student-feedback loop
Rankings strategy
Research at scale
Citation and research promotion strategy
International partnerships: Between Victoria University of Wellington and the National University
of Samoa, Solomon Islands National University, University of Papua New Guinea, the University of
the South Pacific, and their respective governments
3. External engagement
Establish a central repository (client record management) to help manage and give visibility of
engagement activities (research, teaching, partnerships)
Establish partnership managers in each faculty
Deep-dive MOUs
Establish key strategic partnerships with global institutions
Leverage membership of relevant global professional groups and bodies( e.g. capital city network)
Maintain strong relationships with government, commercial, and other education institutional and
training providers
4. Student experience
International Student Barometer survey
Accommodation for international students
Lifelong student experience
5. Internal
Communication/marketing to raise international profile internally
Creative arts faculty development (Creative Fields)
Creation of an international working group to establish greater cross-collaboration
Resourcing to ensure high-quality support
Potential market opportunities analysis
Engagement and internationalisation are core components of Victoria University of Wellington’s mission
and strategy. Effective engagement has tangible benefits for our partners and the University’s community.
The Engagement Strategy provides a plan for Victoria University of Wellington’s future approach to
engagement. It sets out how the University will:
cultivate a culture of engagement at the University
connect with our partners of influence
continue to strengthen our reputation and profile.
The major step-change initiatives in the engagement space include a focus on increasing our international
reputation via a suite of targeted initiatives aimed at increasing the University’s rankings performance by
extracting maximum value from the University’s participation with rankings agency leaders and growing the
capital city and Latin American relationships to support ranking goals. We will implement programmes of
work to deliver these outcomes, including core membership of the International Reputation and Federation
strategic projects; annual submission of QS reputation survey recipients; annual reviews of the University’s
performance in QS and THE rankings; triennial QS Stars audits; analysis, purchase, and review of rankings
tools measuring performance; participation in rankings conferences to maintain up-to-the minute
knowledge of rankings systems and their future directions; direct engagement with capital city and Latin
American partners, and the continuation of Capital City Universities Initiative symposia.18 Investment Plan Template
The web is the single biggest opportunity to promote those many things that influence how people behave
towards the University, and in many cases, it is the first point of engagement in which we have the chance
to ensure Victoria University of Wellington is included in the consideration of our audience.
Targeted initiatives are to preserve quality in the current website and enhance content management
through a review of the University’s web resources.
In 2019, the University will continue to leverage its brand-marketing strategy campaigns: (i) Capital
Thinking. Globally Minded (our external communities of interest), and (ii) Know Your Mind (prospective
students).
Work will also progress to continue to enhance Victoria University of Wellington’s brand campaign,
highlighting Victoria University of Wellington’s positioning: Capital Thinking. Globally Minded.
Significant progress has been made with the creation of the University’s Scholarship programme (Great
Futures) and accelerated fundraising for the national music centre. Progress has also been made to
enhance our web presence. The Confucius Institute’s Mandarin language programme is now the largest in
Australasia and has made a significant contribution to the rapid overall growth of Chinese language
learning in New Zealand schools. In 2017, Confucius Institute VUW Mandarin Language Assistants were
involved in the teaching of an estimated 20,000 New Zealand students.
Our influence in the Asia–Pacific region has also been a focus, with planning underway for the South-East
Asia (SEAC) initiative: stakeholder engagement and business needs’ research project offerings. We have
appointed an Assistant Vice-Chancellor (International Engagements) and a principal adviser (international
reputation) to provide specialist skills and undertake work programme to enhance Victoria University of
Wellington’s international reputation and develop an international engagement strategy. The development
of an international engagement strategy connects various international initiatives across the University; we
plan to create new relationships in the UK, Europe, and Asia, with a view to enhancing research, teaching,
and reputation. We also plan development for a new Capital City Universities Initiative symposium.
Monitoring of our success against the primary strategies and the progress we make against this suite of
initiatives will be through the setting of targets for our key results areas. Our targets and key results areas
will be completed after the Strategic Plan has been approved by Council.
Strategy 6: Transforming the way we work
The key areas of focus for this strategy will be to significantly change our policies, practices and operational
models and structures deploying our resources and adapting the way we work to thrive sustainably in a
challenging, financially constrained and competitive environment. As part of the strategy refresh, we are
currently working through the specific people, property, partnership and efficiency projects required to
execute this strategy.
1.4 Contribution to economic, social, and
cultural outcomes
In keeping with our global–civic university mandate, Victoria University of Wellington staff engage and
develop mutually beneficial relationships with many businesses, organisations, and communities. Through
public lectures and media commentary, and by taking on advisory roles and acting as the critic and
conscience of society, our academic staff offer expert viewpoints that enrich debate and lead thinking on
major economic, societal, cultural, and environmental issues. Large numbers of staff are involved in such
public debate and on local and international bodies. This public contribution is a key enabler of societal
change through application of research and expertise across a range of subject areas and societal issues.
Our role as New Zealand’s capital city university means Victoria University of Wellington is a valued andYou can also read
